The present invention relates generally to coiled pipe operations. More particularly, relating to a method for the automated control of coiled pipe operation and a device for implementing the method.
Coil pipe operation involves the uncoiling and recoiling of a coil pipe from and onto a rotatable reel through the use of an injector. The coil pipe is typically uncoiled from the reel by the injector which feeds the coil pipe into a well for performing operations in the well, such as drilling and/or well servicing. Once the well operations, or down hole operations, are completed the coil pipe is removed from the well and recoiled back onto the reel by the injector.
During this operation, the coil pipe is subjected to many bend related stresses resulting from the uncoiling and recoiling of the coil pipe. In prior art coil pipe operations, the reel is typically placed at an elevation below the injector and at a spaced distance from the injector. With this arrangement, a device commonly named in the art as a “gooseneck” is implemented to raise the coil pipe from the elevation of the reel to an elevation above the injector. While the use of a gooseneck has been successful in coil pipe operations, the use of it causes the coil pipe to be subjected to three bends as is drawn from the reel into the injector. Additionally, the coil pipe is subjected to the same three bends as it is recoiled back onto the reel from the injector. The large number of bends prematurely fatigues the coil pipe and as a result the coil pipe is reduced to a limited number of iterations it can be used in coil pipe operations.
A method of addressing the deficiencies of the prior art is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,235, the entire of which is incorporated herein by reference.